The purpose of the open house is to provide the public the opportunity to learn more about the Plymouth2040 Comprehensive Plan, provide feedback and vote on priorities for potential improvements to several focus areas within the Township.

Think of a comprehensive plan as a road map for the township to use to guide growth, etc. Obviously unexpected things come up and elected officials and staff can choose to ignore the comprehensive plan, but its the one document that can be referred to as a guide.

This comes at an interesting time. Due to the public reaction to the approval in neighboring Whitemarsh Township of townhomes on the Abolition Hall property, there has been a lot of talk about zoning, planning, etc.

Once an application is submitted to a municipality, it can’t go alter the zoning if it doesn’t like the plan. Thus, zoning needs to be thought through for what may come in the future. While the comprehensive plan doesn’t itself change zoning regulations, it can recommend what changes should be considered.

We sat down and thought about the big picture items that could be down the road in terms of redevelopment in Plymouth Township.

These may already have well thought out plans or may have not been addressed at all:

According to a report on Bloomberg.com, 800 golf courses across the United States closed between 2006 and 2016. How are golf courses in the township currently zoned? If a golf course was to close, what would the township like to see developed there? Does the current zoning allow or hinder the hoped for redevelopment?

The steel mill on Conshohocken Road has been shuttering in stages over the past few decades. The property consists of 66 acres and 5,300 front feet along Conshohocken Road. That means it consists of approximately 5,000 feet along the river as well. If the plant was to close, is there any type of long term plan to encourage a specific type of redevelopment? Do you want the Plymouth riverfront, which is currently an industrial wasteland, to follow Conshohocken’s path for redevelopment or something else?

What is the vision for Ridge Pike, at the Norristown border, and Conshohocken Road for when the ramps are built to and from the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the next few years?

Does it make sense to try to encourage SEPTA to add a train station along Conshohocken Road? While the new ramps on and off the turnpike are geared towards spurring redevelopment along Norristown’s riverfront, it will likely have the same impact in Plymouth Township. Adding a train station will greatly enhance the redevelopment prospects along Conshohocken Road in Plymouth Township.

Feel free to comment on what you are interested in/concerned with in regards to the next 20 years in Plymouth Township.